MIT didn't smell like the South Side.
That was the first thing Luke noticed.
No grease in the air.
No sirens arguing with each other.
No shouting through thin walls at three in the morning.
Just clean corridors, polished floors, and money that didn't need to announce itself.
He hated it immediately.
Arrival
Luke showed up with one duffel bag, a battered laptop, and a mouth that didn't know how to filter itself.
The kid at orientation wearing a blazer worth more than the Gallagher house asked,
"So… what prep school were you from?"
Luke didn't miss a beat.
"Cook County."
Silence.
Then a laugh—awkward, unsure.
Authenticity locked in.
The Lab Reality Check
The engineering labs were another world.
Machines that cost six figures.
Whiteboards filled with equations written like art.
Students who spoke casually about patents and startups their parents funded.
Luke rolled his shoulders and sat down.
When the first problem set dropped, the room split instantly:
Rich kids panicking quietly
Legacy geniuses posturing
Luke… solving
Not fast.
Clean.
He didn't show off.
He didn't race.
He finished—then helped the TA debug a system error.
The TA stared at him like he'd found a glitch in reality.
Baiting Attempts
It didn't take long.
A group of well-dressed students started circling—jokes just sharp enough to cut.
"Did you steal your calculator?"
"Bet this stuff's easier than robbing liquor stores, huh?"
Luke smiled.
Not friendly.
Controlled.
"You done?" he asked. "Or you wanna keep narrating your insecurity?"
Laughter—real this time.
The bait died.
System Reminder
[Authenticity Status: MAINTAINED]
Note:Violence unnecessary. Leverage is cheaper.
Luke took that to heart.
Turning Wealth into Tools
Instead of fighting them, he studied them.
Who talked too much.
Who needed validation.
Who had parents in venture capital, biotech, defense.
He didn't beg.
He listened.
Then, when group projects formed—
he positioned himself perfectly.
"You've got funding," Luke told one kid casually. "I've got execution."
Deals formed over coffee.
Not friendships.
Assets.
The Shift
By mid-semester:
Rich kids stopped mocking him
Professors started asking his opinion
Study groups waited for his approval
Luke still swore.
Still smoked.
Still looked like he didn't belong.
But in the lab?
He dominated.
Final Thought
MIT tried to change him.
It failed.
Instead, Luke learned how to stand still—and let the world adjust around him.
The South Side didn't disappear.
It just learned how to wear better shoes.